Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg Commencement Address | Harvard Commencement 2017

In his commencement speech to Harvard's Class of 2017, Mark Zuckerberg reflects on his own experiences and emphasizes the importance of creating a world where everyone has a sense of purpose. He highlights the need for taking on significant projects, redefining equality to allow freedom for pursuing purpose, and building global communities. Zuckerberg shares personal stories, including the launch of Facebook and meeting his wife, Priscilla, to illustrate the power of connections and purpose. He encourages graduates to embrace challenges, foster inclusivity, and contribute to societal progress, underscoring that individual actions can lead to global change.

• The speaker acknowledges the audience, including President Faust, faculty, alumni, and graduates, expressing honor at being part of the commencement.
• Shares personal stories about his time at Harvard, emphasizing his unconventional path and relatable experiences with the graduating class.
• Highlights the significance of forming lifelong friendships and relationships during college years.

"If I get through this speech, it'll be the first time I actually finish something at Harvard."

• This quote humorously underscores the speaker's dropout status and sets a relatable tone for his address.

"We may have taken different paths to get here, especially if you came all the way from the Quad, but today I want to share what I've learned about our generation and the world we're building together."

• The quote suggests a shared journey and generational connection, emphasizing the speaker's intent to discuss broader societal themes.

• The speaker stresses that finding personal purpose is not sufficient; the challenge is to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose.
• Highlights the decline of traditional sources of purpose, such as jobs and community memberships, due to technological advancements and societal changes.
• Emphasizes the necessity for a generational effort to foster a renewed sense of purpose and community.

"Purpose is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better ahead to work for."

• This quote defines purpose as a driving force for happiness and fulfillment, central to the speaker's message.

"To keep our society moving forward, we have a generational challenge -- to not only create new jobs, but create a renewed sense of purpose."

• The quote identifies the dual challenge of economic and social renewal, emphasizing the need for innovative approaches to purpose.

• Discusses the impact of technology and automation on job markets, leading to feelings of disconnection and depression.
• Addresses the importance of creating opportunities for engagement and purpose, particularly for marginalized groups such as juvenile detainees and opioid addicts.
• Draws from personal observations and interactions with diverse individuals facing these challenges.

"As I've traveled around, I've sat with children in juvenile detention and opioid addicts, who told me their lives could have turned out differently if they just had something to do, an after school program or somewhere to go."

• This quote illustrates the potential for societal intervention to change life trajectories, highlighting the importance of community support.

• Reflects on the early days of Facebook's creation and the initial vision to connect the Harvard community and eventually the world.
• Acknowledges the unexpected growth and impact of Facebook, emphasizing the power of a simple yet profound idea.
• Encourages graduates to embrace innovative thinking and the potential for small ideas to create significant global change.

"The thing is, it never even occurred to me that someone might be us. We were just college kids. We didn't know anything about that."

• The quote conveys the humility and surprise at the eventual success of Facebook, underscoring the potential in starting small.

"But this idea was so clear to us -- that all people want to connect."

• This quote highlights the clarity and simplicity of the vision that fueled Facebook's development and global impact.

• Building a sense of purpose is crucial for personal and collective progress.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of not only having a personal purpose but also creating a shared purpose among others.
• A lack of shared purpose can lead to disunity and conflict within organizations.

"You have to create a sense of purpose for others. I found that out the hard way."

• The speaker learned that shared purpose is vital for unity and progress.

"Without a sense of higher purpose, this was the startup dream come true. It tore our company apart."

• The absence of shared purpose can lead to organizational disintegration.

• Leadership involves making difficult decisions and facing self-doubt.
• The speaker faced a pivotal moment where they had to choose between selling the company or pursuing their vision.
• Leadership requires resilience and the ability to endure criticism and misunderstanding.

"I believed in what we were doing, but I felt alone. And worse, it was my fault."

• Leadership can be isolating, especially when decisions lead to conflict.

"Anyone working on a big vision will get called crazy, even if you end up right."

• Visionary leaders often face skepticism and criticism.

• Big projects provide a sense of purpose and pride for individuals and communities.
• Historical examples include the moon landing and polio immunization efforts.
• Starting a project does not require full knowledge from the outset; clarity develops through action.

"Ideas don't come out fully formed. They only become clear as you work on them. You just have to get started."

• Initiating projects is more important than having complete understanding from the beginning.

"It's time for our generation-defining public works."

• The speaker calls for new ambitious projects to define the current generation.

• Innovation is often misunderstood as a single eureka moment, which is a misleading notion.
• True innovation involves gradual development and iteration.
• Cultural depictions of innovation, like writing formulas on glass, are inaccurate.

"The idea of a single eureka moment is a dangerous lie."

• Innovation is a process, not a sudden revelation.

"No one writes math formulas on glass. That's not a thing."

• Popular culture often misrepresents the innovation process.

• The speaker highlights the urgency of tackling significant global issues such as climate change and disease.
• Proposes involving large numbers of people in efforts like solar panel installation and health data collection.
• Advocates for modernizing systems like democracy and education to enhance participation and learning.

"How about stopping climate change before we destroy the planet and getting millions of people involved manufacturing and installing solar panels?"

• Calls for collective action to combat climate change and create jobs.

"We spend 50x more treating people who are sick than we spend finding cures so people don't get sick in the first place."

• Criticizes the imbalance in healthcare spending and suggests a focus on prevention.

• Equality should be redefined to allow everyone the freedom to pursue their purpose.
• The speaker suggests that societal structures need to evolve to support personal and collective growth.

"Redefining equality to give everyone the freedom they need to pursue purpose."

• Emphasizes the need for societal changes to facilitate individual purpose fulfillment.

• Entrepreneurship is integral to cultural progress and involves trying numerous new ideas.
• Success often comes after multiple failures, underscoring the importance of having the freedom to fail.
• Current societal structures disproportionately reward success and hinder attempts to innovate for those without financial safety nets.

"Facebook wasn't the first thing I built. I also built games, chat systems, study tools, and music players."

• Demonstrates the iterative process of innovation and the necessity of multiple attempts before achieving success.

"The greatest successes come from having the freedom to fail."

• Highlights the importance of an environment that allows for failure as a stepping stone to success.

• Wealth inequality restricts opportunities for many to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.
• The societal focus is heavily skewed towards rewarding success rather than facilitating attempts at innovation.
• Economic disparities prevent many individuals from taking risks due to the lack of a financial cushion.

"There is something wrong with our system when I can leave here and make billions of dollars in 10 years while millions of students can't afford to pay off their loans, let alone start a business."

• Critiques the systemic issues that create barriers for aspiring entrepreneurs due to economic inequality.

"I know lots of people who haven't pursued dreams because they didn't have a cushion to fall back on if they failed."

• Emphasizes the need for financial security to enable risk-taking and innovation.

• Success is a combination of hard work, good ideas, and luck.
• Personal circumstances and opportunities play significant roles in achieving success.

"We all know we don't succeed just by having a good idea or working hard. We succeed by being lucky too."

• Acknowledges the role of luck and external factors in the success equation.

"If I had to support my family growing up instead of having time to code, if I didn't know I'd be fine if Facebook didn't work out, I wouldn't be standing here today."

• Illustrates how personal circumstances can influence one's ability to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.

• Each generation redefines equality, with the current focus on creating meaningful roles and opportunities for everyone.
• Proposes exploring universal basic income and other social safety nets to facilitate innovation and personal growth.
• Advocates for societal changes that support continuous education and affordable childcare.

"Every generation expands its definition of equality."

• Reflects the evolving understanding and pursuit of equality across generations.

"We should explore ideas like universal basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things."

• Suggests implementing systems that provide financial security to encourage innovation and risk-taking.

• Millennials are notably charitable, contributing both money and time to causes they care about.
• Personal involvement in community initiatives can have profound impacts on both the giver and the receiver.
• Building communities and fostering global connections are essential for creating a sense of purpose.

"Millennials are already one of the most charitable generations in history."

• Highlights the generational trend towards philanthropy and community involvement.

"Let's give everyone the freedom to pursue their purpose -- not only because it's the right thing to do, but because when more people can turn their dreams into something great, we're all better for it."

• Stresses the collective benefit of enabling individuals to pursue their purposes and dreams.

• Millennials identify more with being global citizens than with traditional markers like nationality or religion.
• The interconnectedness of the modern world has shaped a generation that values global community and inclusivity.

"In a survey asking millennials around the world what defines our identity, the most popular answer wasn't nationality, religion, or ethnicity, it was 'citizen of the world'."

• Indicates a shift in identity perception towards a more inclusive, global perspective.

• The speaker emphasizes the historical trend of people coming together in larger groups, from tribes to cities to nations, to achieve collective goals.
• The current generation faces global opportunities such as ending poverty and disease, requiring a united global response.
• Challenges like climate change and pandemics necessitate global cooperation, as no single country can tackle these issues alone.

"We understand the great arc of human history bends towards people coming together in ever greater numbers -- from tribes to cities to nations -- to achieve things we couldn't on our own."

• This quote highlights the historical progression of human collaboration, underscoring the necessity of unity for achieving significant goals.

"We get that our greatest opportunities are now global -- we can be the generation that ends poverty, that ends disease."

• The speaker stresses the potential of the current generation to address global issues, emphasizing the need for worldwide cooperation.

• The speaker identifies a conflict between forces advocating for global freedom, openness, and community versus those promoting authoritarianism, isolationism, and nationalism.
• This battle is not confined to nations but is a broader ideological struggle.
• The resolution of this struggle depends on individuals feeling secure in their lives, enabling them to care about global issues.

"This is the struggle of our time. The forces of freedom, openness and global community against the forces of authoritarianism, isolationism and nationalism."

• The quote outlines the central conflict of the era, contrasting ideologies of openness against those of isolation.

"This isn't going to be decided at the UN either. It's going to happen at the local level, when enough of us feel a sense of purpose and stability in our own lives that we can open up and start caring about everyone."

• The speaker suggests that the resolution of global issues begins locally, with individuals finding stability and purpose in their own lives.

• Local communities provide individuals with a sense of belonging and purpose, which is essential for broader global engagement.
• There has been a significant decline in group memberships, leading to a need for new ways to find purpose.
• The speaker shares examples of individuals who are actively rebuilding and starting new communities.

"We all get meaning from our communities. Whether our communities are houses or sports teams, churches or music groups, they give us that sense we are part of something bigger, that we are not alone."

• This quote emphasizes the role of communities in providing individuals with a sense of belonging and connection to something larger.

"That's why it's so striking that for decades, membership in all kinds of groups has declined as much as one-quarter."

• The speaker highlights the decline in community involvement, indicating a need for revitalization and new community-building efforts.

• The speaker shares stories of individuals like Agnes Igoye, Kayla Oakley, Niha Jain, and David Razu Aznar, who have made significant contributions to their communities.
• These stories illustrate the impact of local actions in creating broader change.

"I met Agnes Igoye, who's graduating today. She spent her childhood navigating conflict zones in Uganda, and now she trains thousands of law enforcement officers to keep communities safe."

• Agnes Igoye's story exemplifies how personal experiences can lead to impactful community contributions.

"I met David Razu Aznar, graduating from the Kennedy School today. He's a former city councilor who successfully led the battle to make Mexico City the first Latin American city to pass marriage equality -- even before San Francisco."

• David Razu Aznar's achievement in advancing marriage equality demonstrates the power of local leadership in effecting social change.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of having a sense of purpose to drive change and connect communities.
• The current generation is challenged to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose.

"In our generation, the struggle of whether we connect more, whether we achieve our biggest opportunities, comes down to this -- your ability to build communities and create a world where every single person has a sense of purpose."

• The quote underscores the importance of community-building and individual purpose in addressing global challenges.

"Class of 2017, you are graduating into a world that needs purpose. It's up to you to create it."

• The speaker calls upon the graduating class to take responsibility for instilling purpose in the world, highlighting their role in shaping the future.

• The speaker reflects on the courage needed to face current challenges and the hope that individuals will find strength to make a positive impact.
• A personal anecdote about a student seeking a book on social justice illustrates the potential for young people to contribute meaningfully despite uncertainties.

"He has a greater sense of purpose, and he's going to bring people along with him."

• The speaker highlights the student's selflessness and commitment to social justice, demonstrating how individual purpose can inspire collective action.

"May the source of strength, who blessed the ones before us, help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing."

• The closing prayer serves as a call for courage and the aspiration to lead lives that positively impact others.